Ryerson reproductive rights group pens open letter to RSU and Rye President

A Ryerson reproductive rights group has written an open letter to the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) and to Ryerson President Mohamed Lachemi, requesting they acknowledge the students who have been protesting the presence of pro-life advocates who have been on campus since September.

The Ryerson Reproductive Justice Collective posted the letter on their Facebook page on Nov. 18. The group also requested that Lachemi and RSU executives be part of a town hall along with staff from the RSU equity service centres, Continuing Education Students’ Association at Ryerson and Ryerson students. The meeting would discuss how to move forward with the pro-life protests on campus. The town hall would be organized by the Ryerson Reproductive Justice Collective and would be held by January 2017, according to the letter.

The letter states that these requests come after The Ryersonian published an article on Nov. 16 in which RSU president Obaid Ullah and Lachemi are quoted on looking to gain rights on Gould Street to be able to kick off pro-life protesters.

“Further, this came to us as a shock, as Obaid Ullah has never once been present to address these issues or students, face-to-face,” the letter states. “President Lachemi, on his part, has not addressed the concerns of the numerous students who have been calling his office this past month demanding that these actions be taken seriously and stopped.”